Ornamental wheel trim securing means



Nov. 9, 1943. c. B. ASKE, JR

ORNAMENTAL WHEEL TRIM SECURING MEANS Filed June 24, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Y Own/e455 5 45 E JIQ Nov. 9, 1943.

c. B. ASKE, JR 2,333,626

ORNAMENTAL WHEEL TRIM SECURING MEANS Filed June 24, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /'/0 INVENTOR.

TORNEY Patented Nov. 9, 1943 OFFICE 2,333,626 ORNAMENTAL WHEEL TRIM SECURING MEANS Charles B. Aske, Jr., Detroit, Mich.

Application June 24, 1942, Serial No. 448,265

2 Claims.

This invention relates to and has for its primary object the providing 01 mean for securing annular ornamental wheel trim to vehicle wheel assemblies independent of the hub cap and simultaneously re-locating the detent of the conventional hub cap securing elements carried by the vehicle wheels axially outward with respect thereto whereby to accommodate the vehicle wheel assembly to receive and secure ornamental wheel trim thereon with a minimum of expense and alteration and at the same time decrease the possibility of losing hub caps as a result of placing the inner periphery of the annular ornamental wheel trim under the outer peripheral lip of the hub cap or as the result of one or more of the hub cap securing elements becoming bent out of shape.

Other objects of the invention will become ap arent by reference to the following detailed de-- scription taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is the slide elevational view of a vehicle wheel and an annular ornamental wheel trim disc showing the invention applied to the conventional hub cap retainer springs of the vehicl wheel and holding the said annular ornamental wheel trim disc in place on said wheel. a portion of the said annular ornamental wheel trim disc bein broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective showing a, preferred form of a spring clip embodying the invention.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view of a vehicle wheel, tire, hub cap, and annular ornamental wheel trim disc showing securing means embodying the invention applied to the hub cap retainer springs and fixing the said ornamental disc to the said wheel, the hub cap being shown disposed over the inner periphery of said ornamental wheel trim disc, over the said securing means, and retained by said securing means oninclusive comprises a spring clip III which is operatively positioned over each hub cap retainer spring I I of a vehicle wheel assembly I2 in such a manner as to engage the inner periphery I30 of an annular ornamental wheel trim disc I3 positioned over the vehicle wheel I2 and secure the said ornamental wheel trim disc I3 to the said wheel I2 simultaneously with providing a new hub cap detent I4' axially and radially outward with respect to the hub cap detent I5 provided on the said hub cap retainer-spring I I, all as hereinafter described in detail.

The wheel assembly I2 shown in the drawing with which to illustrate the invention comprises annular body portion I6 dished at I! and formed with circumferentially spaced protuberances I8 to accommodate the riveting of the hub cap retainer springs II to the said wheel I2 by means of suitable rivets I9. Each hub cap retainer spring II is secured to the rear of the said wheel I2 by the said rivets I9 and is formed with a loop 20 at the rear of the wheel I2 to protude in an axially disposed direction through slotted apertures 2| provided in the said wheel I2 as best indicated in Fig. 2. Axially outward of the said wheel I2, the said hub cap retainer springs I I are formed to extend first radially and diagonally outward at 22 and then radially and diagonally inward at 23 to provide radially outward facing the hubcap detents I4 over which the annular anchor rib 25 of the hub cap 24 ordinarily snaps when urged over the plurality of circumferentially spaced hub cap retainer springs I I usually provided on the vehicle wheel I2, see Figs. 1, 2 and 4.

Circumferentially spaced between the hereinbefore mentioned protuberances I8 and retainer springs II are provided wheel stud apertures 26 which accommodate wheel studs 21 carried by the brake drumassembly 28. Nuts 29 threaded on the said wheel studs 21 secure the said wheel I2 to the brake drum assembly 26.. The vehicle wheel I2 has a drop center rim 30 riveted to the peripheral flange I of the annular body portion I6 thereof, the said drop center rim having the usual tire 3| and inner tube 32 thereon.

The annular ornamental wheel trim disc I3 preferably extends from over the laterally extending flange 33 of the drop center rim 30 to under the outer peripheral lip 240 of the hub cap 24 as best illustrated in Fig. 4, the portion I3-A of the wheel trim I3 representing a radially and axially inward extension or continuation of the outer side wall of the tire 3|, the portion I3B thereof representing the rim of a wheel, and the portion lt-C between the rim representing portion l2-C and the outer peripheral lip 244 01' the hub cap 24 representing a wheel.

The annular body portion it of the wheel I2 is preierably provided with a plurality of circumierentially spaced nibs 34 which are located radially opposite and outwardly from the hub cap retainer springs II, which nibs 34 normally aid .in guiding the apnular anchor rib 25 of the hub cap 24 over the detent l4 or the hub cap retainer springs ll.

The spring metal wheel trim holding clips II are each preferably formed at their outer end II to flt over the inner periphery I30 oi the annular ornamental wheel-trim disc l3 and the contour of. a nib l4 opposite a hub cap retainer spring II, are looped at 36 to fill the re-entrant space between the nib l4 and the opposite hub cap retainer spring II, and are extended at 31 along the radially and diagonally outwardly disposed portion 22 of the hub cap retainer spring II to provide a hub cap detent i4 radially and axially outward with respect to the hub cap detent ll of the hub cap retainer spring I I, from which detent [4 the said wheel trim holding clip II has a portion 38 which preferably meets and rides the curved end 23. of the radially and inwardly disposed portion .23 of the hub cap reassaea'o I! to the vehicle wheel assembly 12 and at the same time provide new detents II to engage and hold the hub cap 24 in place on the wheel assembly I 2, which new detents l4 are so located with respect to the old detents II oi the hub cap retainer springs I l as to compensate for the added thickness 01' the inner periphery III of the wheel trim disc II and the thickness 01 the. spring clips II which are interposed between the annular body portion I0 01' the vehicle wheel l2 and the outer peripheral lip 240 of the hub cap 24.

Although but two embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the size, shape, arrangement and detail of the various elements of the invention without departing from the spirit or the invention as defined by the appended claims, it having been intended that the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein be construed in a descriptive rather than a limiting sense.

Iclaim: V

1. Means for securing annular ornamental wheel trim discs and hub caps to vehicle wheels employing a multiplicity of circumferentially spaced axially extending radially resilient hub cap retainer springs each forming a radially outward facing hub cap detent, comprising a resilient holding clip engaged over each of said hub secure the same to said vehicle wheel and a porso as to hook around the radially and diagonally outward disposed portion 22 of the hub cap retainer spring II at and radially inward oi the detent I5 oi the hub cap retainer spring I l whereby to positively prevent the spring metal wheel trim holding clip ill from being pulled 011 from the hub cap retainer spring II when the annular anchor rib 25 of the hub cap 24 is pulled over the detents ll of the spring clip l0 when the hub cap 24 is being removed from the wheel assembly l2 after the said hub cap 24 has been secured to the wheel assembly I2 by snapping the annular anchor rib 25 thereof over the detents l4 of the spring clips l0.

In the alternate embodiment of the invention disclosed in'Figs. 5 and 6, the spring clip I00 is precisely like the spring clip ill with the exception that each spring clip Hi0 relies upon its loop 38 disposed in the re-entrant space between the nib 34 and the opposite hub cap retainer spring Ii to prevent the said spring clip Ill from being pulled away from the hub cap retainer spring i I when the hub cap is removed from the detents i4 01' the said spring clips I00.

Thus, the spring clips I 0 and I00 are employed to secure theannular ornamental wheel trim disc tion, positioned .axially outward of the wheel relative to the corresponding detent, the said lastmentioned portions of said clips being formed to engage a hub cap and secure the same to the wheel.

2. Means for securing annular ornamental wheel trim discs and hub caps to vehicle wheels employing a multiplicity of circumferentially spaced axially extending radially resilient hub cap retainer springs each forming a radially outward facing hub cap detent, comprising a resilient holding clip engaged over each of said hub cap retainer springs and formed to engage the inner periphery of the said annular ornamental wheel trim disc and secure the same to said vehicle wheel, ,a portion of each oi said resilient wheel trim holding clips being formed to provide a hub cap detent radially and axially outward 

